Engine of Hell
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Engine of Hell | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 5th, 2021 | |||
Studio | Panoramic House, Marin County, California[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:49 | |||
Label | Sargent House | |||
Producer | Sonny Diperri | |||
Emma Ruth Rundle chronology | ||||
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Engine of Hell is the fifth solo album by Emma Ruth Rundle, released via the Sargent House label on November 5, 2021.[1]
In contrast to other Rundle albums, Engine of Hell took a minimalistic approach to its production, relying on few
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 82/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Beats Per Minute | 78%[6] |
FLOOD Magazine | 8/10[7] |
Kerrang! | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Loud and Quiet | 5/10[9] |
Mojo | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
New Noise Magazine | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 7.2[12] |
The Skinny | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | 5.0/5[14] |
Engine of Hell received mainly positive reviews from critics, with most praising its minimalistic production and brooding atmosphere, and the vunerable and open lyricisim of the songs.[11][8][7][15][13] Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan said that the album is "...gripping in its minimalism," and claimed, "People throw around this phrase, but it rarely gets more hauntingly gorgeous than this."[16] Manish Argawal of Mojo wrote, "Engine Of Hell sees the Californian singer-songwriter ditch her signature expansive arrangements for an eight-song set of piano-framed ballads that dig deep into youthful memories. This newfound instrumental austerity can be forbidding at first, but repeated spins reveal lyrically acute portraits of grieving a family member during childhood (Body); a loved one battling addiction (Blooms Of Oblivion, cut with acoustic guitar and violin); and, less ominously, enjoying music with a friend (Dancing Man). Rundle has written movingly on social media of struggling with pandemic enforced isolation, and the quietly majestic Return, with its poetic allusions to loss and loneliness, will resonate with many who have felt the same," and awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars.[10]
Sputnikmusic staff member "Dewinged" gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, and related the album's aura to the experience of losing their mother, stating, " Emma's fifth album is difficult to judge, to critic, to write about. How can anyone treat a collection of songs that come from the deeper corners of the heart with something as banal as an objective take on it? I refuse to do so. I listen to 'Blooms of Oblivion' and I feel the kind of vertigo I felt when the last tie with she who brought me into this world was severed without a warning. Emma has recreated with a few notes, a few chords, and a few words, the sound of a scream lost in the abyss. Even the Bandcamp page for the album features a black background and no description whatsoever. This is the artist in her purest and most essential form, and no press release, promo material or review could ever describe what lies beyond the music."[14]
Aaron Kavanagh of New Noise Magazine also gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "Rundle's
Angela Davey of
Giving the album an 8 out of 10, Douglas Menagh of FLOOD Magazine stated, "On Engine of Hell, Rundle has built a world through music that has a distinct feeling of isolation and distance. By emphasizing piano, acoustic guitar, and vocals, it also has the feeling of the distant past ricocheting across time. While past records like 2014’s
James Christopher Monger of AllMusic claimed, "Rundle has tempered her sweeping post-rock cinematics with lyrical vulnerability in the past, but Engine of Hell is a braver and bolder beast, as it lays bare the soul of its creator and dares the listener to reckon with it," and awarded the album a 3.5 out of 5 stars.[5] Sam Walton of Loud and Quiet was more critical of the album and gave it a 5 out of 10. Walton felt that the new approach to the album felt "...more like an MTV Unplugged version of a unheard [sic] bigger album, with all the accompanying jarring internal contradictions of scale and sense of sonic amputation: the intimacy feels confected and performed rather than organic, and there’s the frequent impression of a singer straining at the leash, desperate to break free of newly muted confines."[9]
Writing for Beats Per Minute, John Amen gave the album 78% and concluded, "While some of the instrumental interplays and gestalts of Rundle’s previous work are undeniably stunning, Engine of Hell underscores her gifts as a songwriter and for minimalistic arrangement, also illustrating her talent for unadorned performance. Moving from fetes of sinister folk to unbridled metal splurges to, now, an exemplarily intimate sequence, Rundle emerges as one of the more versatile artists working today."[6]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Return" | 5:16 |
2. | "Blooms of Oblivion" | 5:39 |
3. | "Body" | 5:26 |
4. | "The Company" | 4:11 |
5. | "Dancing Man" | 5:22 |
6. | "Razor's Edge" | 4:10 |
7. | "Citadel" | 5:38 |
8. | "In My Afterlife" | 6:01 |
Total length: | 40:49 |
Charts
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
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UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] | 26 |
References
- ^ a b "Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine Of Hell (2021, CD)". discogs.com. Discogs. 5 November 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Menagh, Douglas (November 3, 2021). "Interview: Emma Ruth Rundle Opens Up About Stripped Down New Record". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ Madden, Emma (October 13, 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle's Return To Hell". Stereogum. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ "Engine of Hell by Emma Ruth Rundle". Metacritic. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. "Engine of Hell - Emma Ruth Rundle". AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Amen, John (2021-11-12). "Album Review: Emma Ruth Rundle – Engine of Hell | Beats Per Minute". beatsperminute.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ a b c Menagh, Douglas (November 4, 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle, "Engine of Hell". FLOOD Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c Davey, Angela (November 2, 2021). "Album review: Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell". Kerrang!. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Walton, Sam (November 1, 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell - Album Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Agarwal, Manish (December 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell". Mojo. Bauer Media Group. p. 90.
- ^ a b c Kavanagh, Aaron (November 5, 2021). "Album Review: Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Helfand, Raphael (November 15, 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle: Engine of Hell Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c Inglis, Tony (November 3, 2021). "Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell album review". The Skinny. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Dewinged (November 8, 2021). "Review: Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Khaneka, Sam (November 2, 2021). "ALBUM REVIEW: Engine of Hell - Emma Ruth Rundle". Distorted Sound. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (November 5, 2021). "Album Reviews: Snail Mail, Radiohead, Portrayal of Guilt & more". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 November 2021.